SEEITCLEARLY2020 developed the campaign and released a press release to address their shocking message:

“Our current poster campaign is designed to shock, it is designed to start a conversation and it has been implemented across Melbourne because of the lack of education and the lack of awareness by existing public health authorities. So we are taking it into our own hands, and we are talking about bareback sex when no other group will.”

“PrEP isn’t about giving gay men a license to ‘f*ck raw’, it’s about putting them in control of their sexual health by ensuring that they have the tools they need to stay HIV negative. It’s also about breaking down the barriers between positive and negative men, reducing anxiety about HIV, and challenging stigma.

While we have concerns about the appropriateness of the messages conveyed by this campaign, we think it shows the level of interest in and demand for more effective HIV prevention in our community.

And though I am not sure that having a discussion about PrEP on the streets of Melbourne is the best place, it’s pretty clear that we cannot ignore this call to action, and we have no desire to silence those who rightly demand access to lifesaving forms of proven HIV prevention. Both state and federal governments should consider their own capacity to act and make PrEP available.”